Plastic barrel, camera module, and electronic device

ABSTRACT

A plastic barrel including an object-end portion, a holder portion, and a tube portion is proposed. The object-end portion includes an outer object-end surface, an object-end hole, and an inner annular object-end surface. A part of the inner annular object-end surface is connected with the outer object-end surface and surrounding the object-end hole. The holder portion includes a bottom surface, a bottom hole, and an outer bottom side. The bottom surface surrounds the bottom hole and is connected with the outer bottom side. The holder portion further includes cut traces formed by partially removing gate portions. The tube portion includes inner annular surfaces and connects the object-end portion with the holder portion.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of the application Ser. No.16/233,223, filed on Dec. 27, 2018, which is a continuation of theapplication Ser. No. 16/004,476, filed on Jun. 11, 2018, U.S. Pat. No.10,205,863 issued on Feb. 12, 2019, which is a continuation of theapplication Ser. No. 15/606,187, filed on May 26, 2017, U.S. Pat. No.10,027,865 issued on Jul. 17, 2018, and claims priority to Taiwanapplication serial number 106109800 filed on Mar. 23, 2017, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a plastic barrel, a camera module andan electronic device. More particularly, the present disclosure relatesto a plastic, barrel, a camera module, and a portable electronic devicedisposed with the plastic barrel and the camera module.

Description of Related Art

Along with the popularization of personal electronic products and mobilecommunication products (such as mobile phones and tablets) havingimaging devices, miniaturized imaging lens modules have beencorrespondingly risen and developed, and the demands of miniaturizedimaging lens modules having, high resolution and great imaging qualitysignificantly increased as well.

A plastic barrel is usually used to receive the lens elements in acamera module and provides an optical distance between any two of thelens elements, and the structure of the plastic barrel correspondinglyaffects the imaging quality of the camera module.

Most of conventional plastic barrels are screwed on image sensors, whichoften produces dust during the procedure of assembling. Moreover, whenthe axis of the screw is misaligned, the assembled camera may tilt, andhence the imaging quality may be affected.

To solve this problem, the plastic barrels that connect with the imagesensor via a holder portion are provided in the market. However, it isdifficult for the current manufacturing process to make the surface ofthe holder portion facing the image sensor smooth enough, and hence thecamera may still tilt after being assembled. Meanwhile, the assemblingtolerance may negatively affect the back focus position as well.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a plastic barrel including an object-endportion, a holder portion, and a tube portion. The object-end portionincludes an outer object-end surface, an object-end hole, and an innerannular object-end surface. A part of the inner annular object-endsurface is connected with the outer object-end surface and surrounds theobject-end hole. The holder portion includes a bottom surface, a bottomhole, and an outer bottom side, wherein the bottom surface surrounds thebottom hole and connected with the outer bottom side, and the holderportion further comprises at least three cut traces obtained bypartially removing at least three gate portions. The tube portionconnects the object-end portion with the holder portion and includes aplurality of inner annular surfaces. An area of the bottom surface isAs, a diameter of the bottom hole is ψo, and the following condition issatisfied: 0.19<As/Ao<1.5, wherein Ao=π×(ψo/2)².

The present disclosure provides a camera module including theaforementioned plastic barrel and an optical lens assembly disposed inthe plastic barrel.

The present disclosure provides an electronic device including theaforementioned camera module and an image sensor connected with thecamera module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure can be more fully understood by reading thefollowing detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made tothe accompanying drawings as follows:

FIG. 1A is a schematic view of a plastic barrel according to the 1stembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is another schematic view of the plastic barrel according to the1st embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1C is a side cross-sectional view the plastic barrel according tothe 1st embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1D is a schematic view of a parameter As according to the 1stembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1E is a cross-sectional view of a mold used during themanufacturing process of the plastic barrel according to FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1F is a top view of the plastic barrel according to the 1stembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1G is a bottom view of the plastic barrel according to the 1stembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a schematic view of a plastic barrel according to the 2ndembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B is a side cross-sectional view of the plastic barrel accordingto the 2nd embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2C is a schematic view of a parameter As according to the 2ndembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2D is a top view of the plastic barrel according to the 2ndembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2E is a bottom view of the plastic barrel according to the 2ndembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a schematic view of a plastic barrel according to the 3rdembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B is another schematic view of the plastic barrel according to the3rd embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3C is a side cross-sectional view of the plastic barrel accordingto the 3rd embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3D is a schematic view of a parameter As according to the 3rdembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3E is a top view of the plastic barrel according to the 3rdembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3F is a bottom view of the plastic barrel according to the 3rdembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a camera module according to the 4thembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5A is an exploded view of an electronic device according to the 5thembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5B is a side cross-sectional view of the electronic deviceaccording to the 5th embodiment of FIG. 5A; and

FIG. 5C is a schematic view of the assembled electronic device accordingto the 5th embodiment of FIG. 5A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 1st Embodiment

FIG. 1A is a schematic view of a plastic barrel 100 according to the 1stembodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 1B is another schematic viewof the plastic barrel 100 according to the 1st embodiment of the presentdisclosure; FIG. 1C is a side cross-sectional view of the plastic barrel100 according to the 1st embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG.1A to FIG. 1C, the plastic barrel 100 includes an object-end portion110, a tube portion 120, and a holder portion 130. The object-endportion 110 includes an outer object-end surface 112, an object-end hole114, and an inner annular object-end surface 116. A part of the innerannular object-end surface 116 is connected with the outer object-endsurface 112 and surrounds the object-end hole 114. The holder portion130 may include a bottom surface 131, a bottom hole 132, and an outerbottom side 133. The bottom surface 131 surrounds the bottom hole 132and is connected with the outer bottom side 133.

The tube portion 120 connects the object-end portion 110 with the holderportion 130. The tube portion 120 includes a plurality of inner annularsurfaces 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, and 126, wherein the inner annularsurfaces 121-126 of the tube portion 120 may form at least six parallelinner annular surfaces (e.g., 121 a and 122 a) to prevent the injectionquality of the object-end portion 110 from being affected by the overlythick regions of the tube portion 120. Specifically, in FIG. 1C, the sixparallel inner annular surfaces of the 1st embodiment are located on theinner annular surfaces 121-126, respectively. Accordingly, the injectionmay flow more smoothly during the injection molding process via properlyarranging the plurality of parallel inner annular surfaces.

FIG. 1D is a schematic view of a parameter As according to the 1stembodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 1C and FIG. 1D, when anarea of the bottom surface 131 is As, and a diameter of the bottom hole132 is ψo, the following condition can be satisfied: 0.19<As/Ao<1.5,wherein Ao=π×(ψo/2)², which is the cross-sectional area of the bottomhole 132. In FIG. 1D, the cross-sectional area of the holder portion 130is Ah, i.e., the area surrounded by the outer bottom side 133, and thearea As of the bottom surface 131 can be obtained by subtracting thecross-sectional area of the bottom hole 132 from the cross-sectionalarea of the holder portion 130 (i.e., As=Ah−Ao), but the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. Preferably, the following conditioncan be satisfied: 0.34<As/Ao<1.2. Accordingly, a better balance betweenthe smoothness of the bottom surface 131 and the miniature of theplastic barrel 100 can be further achieved.

In FIG. 1A, the holder portion 130 further includes at least three cuttraces 134 which can be obtained by partially removing at least threegate portions 135.

FIG. 1E is a cross-sectional view of a mold 140 used during themanufacturing process of the plastic barrel 100 according to FIG. 1A. InFIG. 1E, during the injection molding process of manufacturing theplastic barrel 100, the injection is injected into a chamber 141 of themold 140 via an injection channel 142. A molding gate 143 is disposedbetween the injection channel 142 and the chamber 141 and corresponds tothe cut trace 134 of the holder portion 130. After the injectionhardened and separated from the mold 140, the position where the moldinggate 143 corresponds to the holder portion 130 will exist some residualhardened materials, i.e., the gate portion 135. Next, after removing thegate portion 135, the cut trace 134 will be formed on the holder portion130. Since the design of the molding gate 143 will shape the connectionbetween the gate portion 135 and the holder portion 130 as a descendingplane, the corresponding cut trace 134 on the holder portion 130 willnot affect the dimensional precision or obstruct subsequent assemblingapplications after removing the gate portion 135. Accordingly, theinjection may flow more smoothly during the injection molding processvia the way of forming the gate portions 135 on the holder portion 130,and hence the dimensional precision of the holder portion 130 can becontrolled more ideally, and the smoothness of the bottom surface 131can be guaranteed.

Only one molding gate 143 is illustrated in FIG. 1E due to thecross-sectional viewing angle. However, since the at least three cuttraces 134 in FIG. 1A are obtained by respectively removing the at leastthree gate portions 135 during the injection molding process, the mold140 has at least three molding gates 143 corresponding to the at leastthree gate portions 135. Accordingly, the molding of a plastic barrelhaving a more complicated structure can be facilitated. In addition, theat least three cut traces 134 may accelerate the procedure of cuttingand clamping the plastic barrel 100, and hence the cutting knife can beintegrated with the clamping arm to improve the cutting efficiency.

In the 1st embodiment, the object-end portion 110, the holder portion130, and the tube portion 120 of the plastic barrel 100 may beintegrally formed as a black plastic via an injection molding process,but the plastic barrel 100 of the present disclosure is not limitedthereto. Accordingly, the number of the parts used for manufacturing theplastic barrel 100 can be reduced, the torque problem occurring when theplastic parts are conventionally assembled can be mitigated, and thedust problem resulted from the friction between the plastic parts can bealleviated. Further, by controlling the precision of the mold 140, theproblem of the misaligning screw axis that should be considered in theconventional way of using threaded structures can be neglected.

In FIG. 1B and FIG. 1D, the shape of the holder portion 130 (e.g., arectangle) is different from the shape of the bottom hole 132 (e.g., acircle). Under this situation, a certain structural thickness of theholder portion 130 can be maintained, and hence the dimension of theholder portion 130 will not be too small to obstruct the injectionmolding process, but the shape of the holder portion 130 is not limitedthereto. In other cases, the shape of the holder portion 130 may be atrimmed circle whose diameter is larger than the diameter of the bottomhole 132.

In FIG. 1A and FIG. 1C, when a height of the plastic barrel 100 parallelto a central axis 150 (i.e., the optical axis) is H and a thickness ofthe holder portion 130 parallel to the central axis 150 is h1, thefollowing condition can be satisfied: 0.04<h1/(H−1)<0.5. Accordingly,the structural thickness of the holder portion 130 will not be too thickto hinder the imaging quality of the object-end hole 114.

Accordingly, the plastic barrel 100 of the present disclosure may beimplemented as a non-threaded structure. Since there's no need to designthreads, the developing progress of the mold 140 may be accelerated, andhence the manufacturing efficiency may be improved.

FIG. 1F is a top view of the plastic barrel 100 according to the 1stembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 1G is a bottom view ofthe plastic barrel 100 according to the 1st embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In FIG. 1F and FIG. 1G, the outer bottom side 133 includesat least four side surfaces 133_1, 133_2, 133_3, and 133_4. Each of theside surfaces 133_1-133_4 includes two ends E1 and E2, and one of theends of one of the side surfaces 133_1-133_4 is connected with one ofthe ends of another one of the side surfaces 133_1-133_4, wherein theone of the side surfaces 133_1-133_4 is adjacent to the another one ofthe side surfaces 133_1-133_4. Accordingly, the design of the channeltraces of injecting the injection during the injection molding processcan be facilitated. In addition, the side surfaces 133_1-133_4 may formfour corners 160_1-160_4, wherein the corner 160_1 may be chamfered.

Moreover, the cut traces 134 are respectively located on the sidesurfaces 133_1-133_4, and each of the cut traces 134 is closer to one ofthe ends E1 and E2 (e.g., the end E1) of the side surfaces 133_1-133_4.Accordingly, the injection at the thinner places of the hardened plasticbarrel 100 will be more uniform. Moreover, when the speed of injectingis faster, the cooling gradients of some parts will not be too large,and hence the plastic inside the plastic barrel 100 can be preventedfrom having residual stress after cooling down. Further, the existenceof the short shot and the sink mark on the bottom surface 131 can beless frequent to facilitate the cutting of the plastic barrel 100, andthe operation of the machine cutting the gate portions 135 may be moreefficient.

In FIG. 1C, when the area of the bottom surface 131 is As, and adiameter of the object-end hole 114 is ψd, the following condition canbe satisfied: 0.8<As/(π×(ψd)²)<3.6. Accordingly, the molding quality ofthe object-end hole 114 can be guaranteed.

When the diameter of the object-end hole 114 is ψd, and the height ofthe plastic barrel 100 parallel to the central axis 150 is H, thefollowing condition can be satisfied: 1.02<H/ψd<2.8. Accordingly, theplastic barrel 100 can be designed to fit in optical systems with largeaperture stop and short total length. Preferably, the followingcondition can be satisfied: 1.32<H/ψd<2.42. Accordingly, the plasticbarrel 100 may be applicable to the barrel designs with large aperturestop and short focal length.

When the diameter of the bottom hole 132 is ψo, and the height of theplastic barrel 100 parallel to the central axis 150 is H, the followingcondition can be satisfied: 1.05<ψo/H<2.5. Accordingly, the flow of theplastic may be smoother, and hence the injection channels correspondingto the at least three gate portions 135 may be distributed moreuniformly rather than overly concentrated.

When the area of the bottom surface 131 is As, and the diameter of theobject-end hole 114 is ψd, the following condition can be satisfied:1.0<As/(π×(ψd)²)<3.15. Accordingly, the size of the object-end hole 114can be prevented from being too small or the area of the bottom surface131 can be prevented from being too large, and hence the defectiveproducts can be less produced, and the efficiency of the injectionmolding process can be improved.

The following Table 1 lists the data of the plastic barrel 100 definedaccording to the aforementioned parameters of the 1st embodiment of thepresent disclosure as shown in FIG. 1C and FIG. 1D.

TABLE 1 1st embodiment ψd  1.28 mm Ao 15.48 mm² ψo  4.44 mm Ah 25.05 mm²H 2.574 mm As  9.57 mm² hl  0.5 mm

2nd Embodiment

FIG. 2A is a schematic view of a plastic barrel 200 according to the 2ndembodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2B is a side cross-sectionalview of the plastic barrel 200 according to the 2nd embodiment of thepresent disclosure. In FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the plastic barrel 200includes an object-end portion 210, a tube portion 220, and a holderportion 230. The object-end portion 210 includes an outer object-endsurface 212, an object-end hole 214, and an inner annular object-endsurface 216. A part of the inner annular object-end surface 216 isconnected with the outer object-end surface 212 and surrounds theobject-end hole 214. The holder portion 230 includes a bottom surface231, a bottom hole 232, and an outer bottom side 233. The bottom surface231 surrounds the bottom hole 232 and is connected with the outer bottomside 233.

The tube portion 220 connects the object-end portion 210 with the holderportion 230. The tube portion 220 includes a plurality of inner annularsurfaces 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, and 226, wherein the inner annularsurfaces 221-226 of the tube portion 220 may form at least six parallelinner annular surfaces (e.g., parallel inner annular surfaces 221 a and222 a). Specifically, in FIG. 2B, the six parallel inner annularsurfaces of the 2nd embodiment are located on the inner annular surfaces221-226, respectively.

In FIG. 2A, the holder portion 230 may further include at least threecut traces 234 which can be obtained by partially removing at leastthree gate portions 235. The way of forming the at least three cuttraces 234 can be referred to the related discussion of FIG. 1E, whichwill not be repeated herein. Accordingly, the molding of a plasticbarrel having a more complicated structure can be facilitated. Inaddition, the at least three cut traces 234 may accelerate the procedureof cutting and clamping the plastic barrel 200, and hence the cuttingknife can be integrated with the clamping arm to improve the cuttingefficiency.

In the 2nd embodiment, the object-end portion 210, the holder portion230, and the tube portion 220 of the plastic barrel 200 may beintegrally formed as a black plastic via an injection molding process.

FIG. 2C is a schematic view of a parameter As according to the 2ndembodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 2C, the shape of theholder portion 230 (e.g., a rectangle) is different from the shape ofthe bottom hole 232 (e.g., a circle). In addition, the plastic barrel200 in the 2nd embodiment is a non-threaded structure.

FIG. 2D is a top view of the plastic barrel 200 according to the 2ndembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2E is a bottom view ofthe plastic barrel 200 according to the 2nd embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In FIG. 2D and FIG. 2E, the outer bottom side 233 includesat least four side surfaces 233_1, 233_2, 233_3, and 233_4. Each of theside surfaces 233_1-233_4 includes two ends E1 and E2, and one of theends of one of the side surfaces 233_1-233_4 is connected with one ofthe ends of another one of the side surfaces 233_1-233_4, wherein theone of the side surfaces 233_1-233_4 is adjacent to the another one ofthe side surfaces 233_1-233_4. Accordingly, the design of the channeltraces of injecting the injection during the injection molding processcan be facilitated. Moreover, the cut traces 234 are respectivelylocated on the side surfaces 233_1-233_4, and each of the cut traces 234is closer to one of the ends E1 and E2 (e.g., the end E1) of the sidesurfaces 233_1-233_4.

In FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, and FIG. 2C of the 2nd embodiment, an area of thebottom surface 231 is As, a cross-sectional area of the holder portion230 is Ah (i.e., the area surrounded by the outer bottom side 233), andthe area As of the bottom surface 231 can be obtained by subtracting thecross-sectional area of the bottom hole 232 from the cross-sectionalarea of the holder portion 230 (i.e., As=Ah−Ao). A diameter of thebottom hole 232 is ψo, wherein Ao=π×(ψo/2)², i.e., the cross-sectionalarea of the bottom hole 232. A height of the plastic barrel 200 parallelto a central axis 250 (i.e., the optical axis) is H, a thickness of theholder portion 230 parallel to the central axis 250 is h1, and adiameter of the object-end hole 214 is ψd. The following Table 2 liststhe data of the plastic barrel 200 defined according to theaforementioned parameters of the 2nd embodiment of the presentdisclosure as shown in FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, and FIG. 2C.

TABLE 2 2nd embodiment ψd  1.28 mm Ao 15.48 mm² ψo  4.44 mm Ah 25.37 mm²H 2.582 mm As  9.89 mm² h1  0.5 mm

3rd Embodiment

FIG. 3A is a schematic view of a plastic barrel 300 according to the 3rdembodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3B is another schematic viewof the plastic barrel 300 according to the 3rd embodiment of the presentdisclosure; FIG. 3C is a side cross-sectional view of the plastic barrel300 according to the 3rd embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG.3A to FIG. 3C, the plastic barrel 300 includes an object-end portion310, a tube portion 320, and a holder portion 330. The object-endportion 310 includes an outer object-end surface 312, an object-end hole314, and an inner annular object-end surface 316. A part of the innerannular object-end surface 316 is connected with the outer object-endsurface 312 and surrounds the object-end hole 314. The holder portion330 may include a bottom surface 331, a bottom hole 332, and an outerbottom side 333. The bottom surface 331 includes a plane portion 331_1and a dented portion 331_2. The dented portion 331_2 surrounds thebottom hole 332, and the plane portion 331_1 surrounds the dentedportion 331_2 and is connected with the outer bottom side 333.

The tube portion 320 connects the object-end portion 310 with the holderportion 330. The tube portion 320 includes a plurality of inner annularsurfaces 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, and 326, wherein the inner annularsurfaces 321-326 of the tube portion 320 may form at least six parallelinner annular surfaces (e.g., parallel inner annular surfaces 321 a and322 a). Specifically, in FIG. 3C of the 3rd embodiment, the six parallelinner surfaces are located on the inner annular surfaces 321-326,respectively.

In FIG. 3A, the holder portion 330 may further include at least threecut traces 334 which can be obtained by partially removing at leastthree gate portions 335. The way of forming the at least three cuttraces 334 may be referred to the discussion related to FIG. 1E, whichwill not be repeated herein. Accordingly, the molding of a plasticbarrel having a more complicated structure can be facilitated. Inaddition, the at least three cut traces 334 may accelerate the procedureof cutting and clamping the plastic barrel 300, and hence the cuttingknife can be integrated with the clamping arm to improve the cuttingefficiency.

In the 3rd embodiment, the object-end portion 310, the holder portion330, and the tube portion 320 of the plastic barrel 300 may beintegrally formed as a black plastic via an injection molding process.

FIG. 3D is a schematic view of a parameter As according to the 3rdembodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 3D, the shape of theholder portion 330 (e.g., a rectangle) is different from the shape ofthe bottom hole 332 (e.g., a circle). Moreover, the plastic barrel 300of the present disclosure may be implemented as a non-threadedstructure.

FIG. 3E is a top view of the plastic barrel 300 according to the 3rdembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 3F is a bottom view ofthe plastic barrel 300 according to the 3rd embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In FIG. 3E and FIG. 3F, the outer bottom side 333 includesat least four side surfaces 333_1, 333_2, 333_3, and 333_4. Each of theside surfaces 333_1-333_4 includes two ends E1 and E2, and one of theends of one of the side surfaces 333_1-333_4 is connected with one ofthe ends of another one of the side surfaces 333_1-333_4, wherein theone of the side surfaces 333_1-333_4 is adjacent to the another one ofthe side surfaces 333_1-333_4. Accordingly, the design of the channeltraces of injecting the injection during the injection molding processcan be facilitated. Moreover, the cut traces 334 are respectivelylocated on the side surfaces 333_1-333_4, and each of the cut traces 334is closer to one of the ends E1 and E2 (e.g., the end E1) of the sidesurfaces 333_1-333_4.

In FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B, and FIG. 3C of the 3rd embodiment, an area of thebottom surface 331 is As, wherein a cross-sectional area of the holderportion 330 is Ah, i.e., the area surrounded by the outer bottom side333, and the area As of the bottom surface 331 may be obtained bysubtracting the cross-sectional area of the bottom hole 332 from thecross-sectional area of the holder portion 330 (i.e., As=Ah−Ao). Adiameter of the bottom hole 332 is ψo, wherein Ao=π×(ψo/2)², i.e., thecross-sectional area of the bottom hole 332. A height of the plasticbarrel 300 parallel to a central axis 350 (i.e., the optical axis) is H,a thickness of the holder portion 330 parallel to the central axis 350is h1, and a diameter of the object-end hole 314 is ψd. The followingTable 3 lists the data of the plastic barrel 300 defined according tothe aforementioned parameters of the 3rd embodiment of the presentdisclosure as shown in FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B, FIG. 3C, and FIG. 3D.

TABLE 3 3rd embodiment ψd  1.28 mm Ao 14.52 mm² ψo  4.43 mm Ah 25.05 mm²H 2.624 mm As 10.53 mm² h1  0.55 mm

4th Embodiment

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a camera module 400 according to the 4thembodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 4, a camera module 400includes a plastic barrel 100 and an optical lens assembly 410, whereinthe optical lens assembly 410 is disposed in the plastic barrel 100.

In the 4th embodiment, the plastic barrel 100 is the same as the 1stembodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, whichwill not be repeated herein.

In the 4th embodiment, the object-end hole 114 is an aperture stop ofthe optical lens assembly 410, and the optical lens assembly 410includes a plurality of lens elements 410_1, 410_2, 410_3, and 410_4,which are disposed in the plastic barrel 100 and against some opticalelements (not particularly labelled). Accordingly, the light blockingelements used as an aperture stop will not be needed, and hence themechanical complexity of the camera module 400 will be reduced.

5th Embodiment

FIG. 5A is an exploded view of an electronic device 500 according to the5th embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 5B is a sidecross-sectional view of the electronic device 500 according to the 5thembodiment of FIG. 5A; FIG. 5C is a schematic view of the assembledelectronic device 500 according to the 5th embodiment of FIG. 5A. InFIG. 5A, FIG. 5B, and FIG. 5C, the electronic device 500 includes thecamera module 400 and an image sensor 515, wherein the camera module 400is the same as the 4th embodiment, which includes, but not limited to,the plastic barrel 100 of the 1st embodiment.

In detail, the image sensor 515 can be disposed on a substrate 510 viaaligning the corner 160_1 (i.e., the chamfered corner) of the plasticbarrel 100 with a corner 510_1 of the substrate 510. Accordingly, theimage sensor 515 is connected with the camera module 400 via thesubstrate 510. The corner 160_1 is used to prevent the camera module 400from being erroneously assembled with the substrate 510, such that thecentral axis 150 is aligned with the center of the image sensor 515.

Further, in FIG. 5A, the bottom surface 131 may receive the substrate510, and the bottom surface 131 and the image sensor 151 are on the sameside of the substrate 510. Accordingly, the manufacturing process of thecamera module 400 may be simplified to reduce costs.

Although the present disclosure has been described in considerabledetail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodimentsare possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claimsshould not be limited to the description of the embodiments containedherein.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the structure of the presentdisclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure.In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosurecover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they fallwithin the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A plastic barrel, comprising: an object-endportion, comprising: an outer object-end surface; an object-end hole;and an inner annular object-end surface, wherein a part of the innerannular object-end surface is connected with the outer object-endsurface and surrounds the object-end hole; a holder portion, comprising:a bottom surface; a bottom hole; and an outer bottom side, wherein thebottom surface surrounds the bottom hole and connected with the outerbottom side, and the holder portion further comprises at least three cuttraces obtained by partially removing at least three gate portions; anda tube portion, connecting the object-end portion with the holderportion and comprising a plurality of inner annular surfaces; whereinthe outer bottom side comprises at least four side surfaces, each of theside surfaces comprises two ends, one of the ends of one of the sidesurfaces is connected with one of the ends of another one of the sidesurfaces, and the one of the side surfaces is adjacent to the anotherone of the side surfaces; wherein the cut traces are respectivelylocated on the side surfaces, and each of the cut traces is closer toone of the ends of the side surfaces.
 2. The plastic barrel of claim 1,wherein the object-end portion, the holder portion, and the tube portionare integrally formed as a black plastic via an injection moldingprocess.
 3. The plastic barrel of claim 2, wherein an appearance of theholder portion is different from a shape of the inner annular surface.4. The plastic barrel of claim 2, wherein an appearance of the holderportion is different from an appearance of the tube portion.
 5. Theplastic barrel of claim 2, wherein an appearance of the holder portionis different from a shape of the bottom hole.
 6. The plastic barrel ofclaim 4, wherein the plastic barrel is a non-threaded structure.
 7. Theplastic barrel of claim 2, wherein a diameter of the bottom hole of theholder portion is larger than a diameter of the outer object-end surfaceof the object-end portion.
 8. The plastic barrel of claim 3, wherein theinner annular surfaces of the tube portion form at least six parallelinner annular surfaces.
 9. A camera module, comprising: the plasticbarrel of claim 1; and an optical lens assembly disposed in the plasticbarrel.
 10. The camera module of claim 9, wherein the object-end hole isan aperture stop of the optical lens assembly.
 11. An electronic device,comprising: the camera module of claim 9; and an image sensor connectedwith the camera module.